inspiration Articles

Are you ready for back-to-school season? All summer I’ve been anxious to know what I’ll be teaching this year, but that curiosity has finally gone away. What I teach doesn’t matter–it’s what students do with it that does. Here’s what I love: converting a class nobody wanted to take into a special experience–a “that didn’t suck” moment….

“If I had your time…” That’s what I hear from people who don’t want to get things done. “If I had YOUR time…” Always that dark tone, sitting halfway between dismissal and envy…as if it’s somehow my fault time’s cheated them… that I’m some space-time villain who steals their time for my own productivity. I used to…

Nobody ever says “TGIM.” Thank God It’s Monday. I wonder why? Wouldn’t it be great if everyone was excited to wrap up their weekend and go into a job they loved? Perhaps a job they built with a team who complimented them so they looked better than a photo shoot with professional makeup and stylists? They’d make…

They call it “The Curse.” Kids started begging me not to attend their games. Me! Their one fan. We didn’t get a lot of fans in those days because we’re regional and we didn’t win. “Casey! You’re cursed. Don’t come, it’s a big game.” I began to test “The Curse” with baseball games. I’d pass by. Dropped…

I’m looking at everyone’s profile pictures. They’re all rock stars with awesome pictures–pictures of hair blowing in slow-mo, light hitting unblemished faces in just the right way. Pictures of scaling Mount Everest. Pictures of scuba diving, standing in front of race cars, meeting Clint Eastwood… My picture, for years, was me on a rock wall with Declan….

Declan’s six. Every time I say, “no,” which is quite often, he says, “Can I do that when I’m a teenager?” “I’m going to watch every show when I’m a teen,” he says. No. No, you’re not. I’ve banned cartoons with a strong correlation to acting out and one that revealed a girl’s chest hidden by blurry…

Silence is a source of great strength –Lao Tsu I write at 4AM. The moments before the birds sing bring me the most peace. My mind clears. Silence reveals the thoughts that drown in the clatters, jangles, and noise of the day. The fire glows, coffee sits to my left, and I think. I am inspired. As…

I’m about to teach a lesson about researching and connecting. Who wants to learn about researching? Exactly nobody. I survey my audience. Teenaged Facebook fiends drifting off into space. Think quick. We need excitement. The best theatre is performed live…on the spot. So it is with teaching. “Pay attention,” I say. “You may want to take notes.”…

It’s easy to give feedback. But there’s something about giving honest and genuine feedback while looking into the eyes of an artist that’s emotional, different. The Scituate Art Festival is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the nation. We’ve been coming for years. It’s my husband Rusty’s hometown. He always wanted to move back…